English Language

Grammar

1,680 Questions
All Parts of Speech Identification 1421 Tense and Time Sequence 167 Conjunctions and Connectors 8 Prepositional Usage 8 Subject-Verb Agreement 6 Pronoun Agreement and Case 4 Adjective and Adverb Confusion 2 Non-Finite Verbs 2 Parallel Structure 2 Noun Pluralization 1

Grammar Questions

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the principal or main clause in the following sentence:

The lights were turned on and the doors were opened.

  1. The lights

  2. the doors

  3. the lights were turned on

  4. the doors were opened
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C,D Correct answer
Explanation

Principal clauses form a complete sentence and can stand alone without any extra information. Here both "the lights...on" and "the doors were opened" make complete independent sentences, hence Option C and D are correct. The rest of the options do not adhere to the goal, hence incorrect. 

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the principal or main clause in the following sentence:

The children played in the garden and their parents ate lunch.

  1. The children played

  2. The children played in the garden

  3. their parents ate

  4. their parents ate lunch
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B,D Correct answer
Explanation

Principal clauses form a complete sentence and can stand alone without any extra information. Here both "the children...garden" and "their...lunch" make complete independent sentences, hence Options B and D are correct. The rest of the options do not adhere to the goal, hence incorrect. 

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the principal or main clause in the following sentence:

The boy ate the apple but his mother would not eat.

  1. The boy

  2. ate the apple

  3. The boy ate the apple

  4. his mother would not eat
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C,D Correct answer
Explanation

Principal clauses form a complete sentence and can stand alone without any extra information. Here both "the boy ate the apple" and "his...eat" make complete independent sentences, hence Option C and D are correct. The rest of the options do not adhere to the goal, hence incorrect. 

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify a dependent or subordinate clause in the following sentence:
This is the bungalow that I built.

  1. This is

  2. bungalow that I built.

  3. This is the bungalow

  4. that I built.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Subordinate clauses start with conjunctions or prepositions and cannot exist without the on the main clause. Here “that I built” is dependent on “This is the bungalow”. Hence, Option D is correct. The rest of the options do not fit this description, hence incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify a dependent or subordinate clause in the following sentence:
Donald went to the market before he left for New Jersey.

  1. for New Jersey.

  2. before he left for New Jersey.

  3. Donald went to the market

  4. went to the market
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Subordinate clauses start with conjunctions or prepositions and cannot exist without the on the main clause. Here “before... Jersey” is dependent on “Donald...market”. Hence, Option B is correct. The rest of the options do not fit this description, hence incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify a dependent or subordinate clause in the following sentence:
You can keep your job as long as you perform.

  1. You can keep your job

  2. as long as

  3. as long as you perform.

  4. you perform
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Subordinate clauses start with conjunctions or prepositions and cannot exist without the on the main clause. Here “as...perform” is dependent on “You ...job”. Hence, Option C is correct. The rest of the options do not fit this description, hence incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify a dependent or subordinate clause in the following sentence:
They rested for some time when the morning arrived.

  1. They rested for some time

  2. the morning arrived.

  3. They rested

  4. when the morning arrived.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Subordinate clauses start with conjunctions or prepositions and cannot exist without the on the main clause. Here “when...arrived” is dependent on “They...time”. Hence, Option D is correct. The rest of the options do not fit this description, hence incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify a dependent or subordinate clause in the following sentence:
I knew the game was going to be an exciting one when Roger took his first swing.

  1. I knew the game was going to be an exciting one

  2. when Roger took his first swing.

  3. was going to be an exciting one

  4. took his first swing.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Subordinate clauses start with conjunctions or prepositions and cannot exist without the on the main clause. Here “when...swing” is dependent on “I...one”. Hence, Option B is correct. The rest of the options do not fit this description, hence incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the dependent/subordinate clause in the following sentence:
Even though the salad was covered in feta cheese, Edward did not eat it.

  1. salad was covered in feta cheese

  2. Edward did not eat it.

  3. Even though the salad was covered in feta cheese

  4. was covered in feta cheese
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Subordinate clauses start with conjunctions or prepositions and cannot exist without the on the main clause. Here “even...cheese” is dependent on “Edward...it”. Hence, Option C is correct. The rest of the options do not fit this description, hence incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify a dependent or subordinate clause in the following sentence:
While Patrick slept on the sofa in front of the television, Meredith, the family dog, gnawed on the leg of the dinner table.

  1. While Patrick slept on the sofa in front of the television

  2. Meredith, the family dog, gnawed on the leg of the dinner table.

  3. in front of the television

  4. While Patrick slept
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Subordinate clauses start with conjunctions or prepositions and cannot exist without the on the main clause. Here “while...television” is dependent on “Meredith...table”. Hence, Option A is correct. The rest of the options do not fit this description, hence incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the main clause in the following sentence:
The house is smaller than what's shown in the picture.

  1. The house is smaller

  2. smaller than what's shown

  3. than what's shown in the picture

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A complex sentence is made up of two or more clauses, where at least one of them should be independent, i.e., complete in meaning. The other clause/clauses should be dependent; it should depend on the main/independent clause for its complete meaning.
The given sentence is a comparison sentence which contains one main clause. "The house is smaller" is the main clause, since it can stand as a sentence on its own; it does not require the other clause for its complete meaning. (Since it's a comparison sentence the clauses are more dependent on each other, and the comparative adjective 'small' is changed to "smaller" in relation to the clause that follows.) Hence option A is correct.
Option B contains a fragment of the main clause as well as the subordinate clause. It cannot form a clause of its own, hence B is incorrect.
Option C contains the subordinate/dependent clause; it cannot stand on its own as a sentence, hence it is incorrect.
Option D is incorrect because the answer lies in A.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the main clause in the following sentence:
As soon as I heard about the calamity in Bhuj, I called up my friend living there to inquire about her safety.

  1. As soon as I heard about the calamity in Bhuj,

  2. I called up my friend living there to inquire about her safety.

  3. I heard about the calamity, I called up my friend

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

A complex sentence is made up of two or more clauses, where at least one of them should be independent, i.e., complete in meaning. The other clause/clauses should be dependent; it should depend on the main/independent clause for its complete meaning. In the given sentence, the latter clause "I called up my friend... ." is the main clause, as it can stand as a sentence on its own, and does not depend on the other clause for its complete meaning. Hence option B is correct. Option A is the dependent clause that begins with the subordinating conjunction 'as soon as', hence it is not the main clause and option A is incorrect. Option C contains fragments of both clauses, it is not one clause hence option C is incorrect. Option D is incorrect because the answer lies in B.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the main clause in the following sentence:
She says she is ready to take up the job provided that she get a promotion within the first quarter itself.

  1. She says she is ready to take up the job

  2. to take up the job

  3. provided that she get a promotion within the first quarter itself.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A complex sentence is made up of two or more clauses, where at least one of them should be independent, i.e., complete in meaning. The other clause(s) should be dependent; it should depend on the main/independent clause for its complete meaning. In the given sentence, the first clause "She says she is ready....the job" is independent; on its own, it is complete in meaning. Hence option A is correct. Option B is an infinitive phrase, it's not a clause. Option C is a subordinate clause; it begins with the subordinating conjunction pair "provided that" and cannot stand on its own as a sentence. Hence options B and C are incorrect. Option D is incorrect because the answer lies in A.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the principal/main clause in the given sentence:
Whenever we mentioned the war in front of the old lady, she remembered the horrors of war that she had to endure, while her husband was fighting for their country.

  1. Whenever we mentioned the war in front of the old lady,

  2. she remembered the horrors of war

  3. that she had to endure,

  4. while her husband was fighting for their country.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

A complex sentence is made up of two or more clauses, where at least one of them should be independent, i.e., complete in meaning. The other clause/clauses should be dependent; it should depend on the main/independent clause for its complete meaning. In the given sentence, there are four clauses, one of which is the main clause as it is not dependent on the others for its complete meaning. The main clause is "she remembered the horrors of war" as it is complete as a sentence on its own, hence option B is correct. The clauses in options A and D are subordinate/dependent, they both begin with a time-related conjunction ("Whenever" and "while" respectively) and sound incomplete on their own. Hence they are not main clauses and they're incorrect. Option C contains a 'that' clause which forms a clause of its own with the subject and verb, but it cannot stand alone as a sentence, hence it is not the main clause and C is incorrect.

Multiple choice types of sentences sentences english

Identify the principal or main clause in the following sentence:
Lizzie realized that she was late in collecting her child from school.

  1. Lizzie realized

  2. Lizzie realized that she was late

  3. in collecting her child

  4. in collecting her child from school
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Principal clauses form a complete sentence and can stand alone without any extra information. Here "Lizzie realised" makes a complete independent sentence, hence Option A is correct. The rest of the options do not adhere to the goal, hence incorrect.